There was a loud slam in the hunting lodge near the forest where monsters had been sighted in the Skyte region.
The lord of the region stood from his seat in shock at the report the winded hunters gave him. “You’re...absolutely certain?”
“Yes. The hunter who spotted it is well-versed in identifying monsters. What should we do, milord?” The hunters had been stunned by their watch’s emergency report. They’d only just gathered for dinner, but immediately took off to tell the lord. It was a race against time.
“There’s a tent being used for the school field trip on the campgrounds in front of the forest. I imagine the king’s carriage will have arrived there by now too...”
“I-I know he has his knights with him, but knights aren’t exactly prepared for this sort of thing!”
“Why did it have to be today of all days? Most of our hunters are spending the night at home in preparation for the field trip tomorrow... We barely have any on hand!”
“Calm yourself! We head out now. Call anyone who can hunt, and get every last shield we have in the armory!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
The lord breathed new confidence into the shaken hunters. Monsters had been appearing more and more often lately, but they’d thought the field trip would be fine as long as nobody went into the forest. It would be bad enough for anything to happen to the king while he was in the Skyte region—that was already too much responsibility for a mere lord of the land—but as luck would have it, he’d heard the second-born prince was participating in the field trip as well.
“Milord... The king and the prince will be okay, won’t they?” The hunters were looking at the lord, full of worry.
“If they aren’t, it’ll be our heads.” This wasn’t time for pithy comfort. Ever since the Stewarts had joined the second-born prince’s faction, support for him had only grown. If both the king and the prince were attacked by monsters, people were bound to cry conspiracy. It wouldn’t just spell the end of the Skyte region. It would be the end of the whole country.
“Milord... They’re...still alive, right?” Another hunter fought his anxiety enough to ask. The other hunters had all given up by this point.
“We can only pray. The trip is being led by the Monster Studies and Hunting Techniques professors, after all, so surely... Damn it all!” The lord knew that bringing those two up was just temporary peace of mind. All the lord and his hunters could do was run there as quickly as possible or start praying. If he’d known it would come to this, he would have refused the offer to have the field trip in Skyte...but if he’d been in any position to refuse, he wouldn’t have been in this mess anyway.
Monsters had been appearing in Skyte far more frequently in recent years. As such, the negative impact on the land’s economy was staggering. They had to spend money on hunting equipment. They had to appropriately compensate the hunters who were risking their lives, and that didn’t come cheap. Then, they needed to handle monster disposal fees, and specialists in such a matter weren’t free either. Even if they worked their tails off to hunt monsters, only a good quality hunt could turn a profit, so they hardly made any money out of it. The more monsters that appeared, the more exhausted their hunters would be and the more the costs would increase.
And then they heard about the school field trip.
Any region that allowed the school field trip to take place in their land would receive money to cover the costs. It was an economic boost that the Skyte region needed more than anything so the people could make it through the winter.
“Father! I’ve heard everything! I’m going too!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kyte!”
Just as the lord of Skyte was straddling his horse to run toward the camp, his son came running after him.
“The more people you have, the better, right?! It’ll be fine! I can help! The Stewart family’s eldest son is three years younger than me, and they say he’s been on monster hunts already!”
“Kyte, I want you to listen to me. The monsters that appear at the border vary from place to place. If they’re letting a boy like that go hunting, it just means that the monsters appearing there are that little of a threat. It does not mean that you’re ready to hunt.”
“But father!”
He understood why his son wanted to be of use here. However, the lord had lost all his siblings in monster hunts. Kyte was the only son he had, the only one who could carry on the legacy of the region.
“If something were to happen to me, who would protect this land?! You have to stay behind!”
“I won’t! I remember the day you came home with your arm gone... I can’t go through it again!” Kyte shook off his father and rode off toward the field trip campsite.
“Kyte! Please, wait! I can’t lose you too!”
“Milord, if we don’t do something, then Kyte might...”
“After him! He’s not ready!”
The lord and the hunters all chased after Kyte, who was making a beeline for the campsite.